Can place attachment mediate perceptions of bushfire risk? A case study of the blue mountains, NSW

Place attachment is conceptualised as the bonding of people to a place that influences their perceptions of those places. This research focused on verbal and visual experiences of residents' homes and surrounds to explore whether place attachment in a bushfireprone community mediated perceptions of risk. The analysis draws from qualitative data that used a visual and mobile method called 'Photovoice', coupled with in-depth interviews, to investigate the relationship between place attachment and perceptions of bushfire risk in hazard-prone settings. Located in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, New South Wales, this research established that place attachment, as mediated by longevity in place and familiarity to place, provided the context for certain perceptions and experiences of bushfire risk. The information garnered from this research can be important for more effective bushfire risk communications that are targeted and tailored to account for residents' attachments to home.